The Alpha Weredragon's Favorite
CHAPTER 28

Ryan

I stormed out of Lyra's dorm, barely able to resist the pull of her. A tremor started in my hands and sweat ran down my back. Thank the Goddess the hallway was empty so no one had to witness me breathing like I was starved of oxygen. Rage pumped in my bloodstream - at Lyra for tempting me, but mostly at myself for being so damn weak. How could I have let it get that far? Let her get under my skin like that?

My boots slammed against the forest path, each thud an echo of the storm inside me. The cool night air was useless against the white-hot burn in my gut. My lips curled against my teeth.

"Why in the hell was I so stupid?" I muttered. Only a lone owl answered me, hooting its own disgust at being disturbed.

I entered my home and slammed the door behind me. In the darkness, I prowled the room like a caged animal. Lyra's scent, the ghost of her touch, clung to me, fueling the inferno of my anger.

Damn that day in the woods, and damn her scent that led me right into her father's trap. If not for her, I'd never have been chained in a Wolfsong cell, stripped of everything, tasting humiliation along with every imaginable foul stench. It all led to that night. That growl that ripped through the chamber, making my skin crawl...

The snarling sound the back of the cell turned my blood to ice. I scrambled backward until my spine slammed against the cold stone wall, the impact stealing my breath. A faint glow appeared, illuminating two blood-red eyes that crept closer, accompanied by the heavy scrape of something massive moving in the darkness. The stench of sulfur burned my nostrils. I squeezed my eyes shut, heart thumping against my ribs.

"Open your eyes, child." The voice was female, ancient and rasping.

I forced my eyes open to replace the cell lit by flickering sconces. Before me stood a tall, gaunt woman with wild gray hair and flat silver eyes.

She had no arms.

How could she light the scones without any arms?

"I have but a moment to tell my tale," She said, eyes flickering to the door then back to me, "and then you will be given a choice."

I nodded. To scared and confused to speak.

The old woman's rasp filled the dank cell as she began her tale. "Long ago, I was a mighty dragon, hired by the Moonshadow pack to vanquish their foes. They compensated me with sparkling baubles - my cherished hoard. I faithfully served his father and his grandfather before him, but when Gregory Evergreen's mate perished, he grew aloof and bitter. Then Vivian arrived," she spat on the ground, a congealed glob of green slime. "She commanded my limbs to be severed, ripping away my wings. Trapped and broken, I was compelled to slaughter the pack's enemies in this wretched cell. Nevermore to taste the sun on my face, or feel the air running through my wings..."

Her uncanny orbs bored into mine as she lowered herself to my level. "I offer you a choice, little one. Survive and seek retribution in my stead as a dragon, or perish beside me in this miserable pit. Either way I die tonight."

I watched as the woman's body contorted, her bones snapping and reforming as scales erupted from her skin. In mere moments, she had transformed into a dragon, disfigured stumps where her wings used to be. Raw power coursed through her form, and the fire in her eyes was directed solely at me.

As a wolf, I had seen my fair share of supernatural transformations, but this was something else entirely. The air crackled with energy as the dragon let out a deafening roar, the sound tearing through me a top notch speed. "Choose now," the dragon said. Whether it was out loud or in my mind I didn't know. I was too busy trying to get the words out to save myself. "I-I-I ch-ch-chose life."

Without warning, the dragon shot blue fire into my face. It was both freezing cold and searingly hot at the same time. As she reverted to her human form, soot covering her moth and chin, a fire raced through my veins. My body contorted, bones snapping and reforming as scales erupted from head to toe. I had become a dragon, a mindless beast driven by the desperate urge to escape and destroy.

With a roar that shook the foundations, I burst through the cell, stone crumbling around me. Prisoners fled as I tore through the dungeon, finally bursting into the open sky. I flew home, crashing into my pack's forest. Darkness claimed me. I scrubbed a hand down my face remembering how I'd woken up with the sun high in the sky. That was the last time I had ever been so scared... so confused.

My head hurt and my body ached all over. I had blinked against the bright sun as faces crowded around me.

"Ryan! Oh thank goodness!" My father's voice had cut through the fog in my brain. He wrapped a warm blanket around my bare shoulders, helping me to sit up.

"What happened? Where are my clothes?" I'd croaked, my throat dry and scratchy. I looked around at the tall trees and bushes. I knew I was on our land, but had no memory of getting there. What happened to me?

My father hugged me close as he helped me to my feet. "It's okay, son. You're safe now. Let's get you home and cleaned up."

I leaned on him heavily as we walked out of the forest, my legs shaky and weak. I had tried to remember something, anything, about the last days but it was all a black void. The last thing I recalled was running through the woods, chasing an elusive scent when...

I stopped walking and looked up at my dad. Tears filled my eyes as it all rushed back: the dark cell, the chains, the dragon lady with no arms. She turned into a real dragon and breathed blue fire on my face. It hurt so bad. Then I turned into a dragon too and broke out.

That was the story I told my father. Then I started to cry, my whole body shaking. "Dad, it was so scary! I didn't know what was happening!"

I would never forget how my dad pulled me into a big hug, holding me tight. "Shh, it's okay Ryan. You're safe now. I've got you."

I buried my face in his chest, letting the tears fall. My dad rubbed my back, trying to calm me down.

"I don't feel good," I whimpered. My head hurt and I felt feverish and sick.

"I know, son. We're almost home."

Rather than have me walk, my had dad scooped me up in his strong arms and carried me the rest of the way.